Tuesday, February 21, 2006 Postscript (後記)The Indian restaurant was simply amazing. After an amazing dinner in which I found Chicken Kashmiri and Mushroom Pilau we stayed and ate until closing time talking more about life and everything in between. I was truly going to miss these guys. At the same time, one of the porters at the hotel was finishing work and we promised to have drinks with him. His name was Steve and he had given us amazing advice and great locations for us to see Montreal in a short time.The least we could do was to buy him a drink. We headed back to the hotel and met up with Steve who we soon discovered was a connoisseur in wine. Xavier was another person who joined us for a drink at this time and both of them had studied in France on wine making, tasting and of course drinking. They brought out two bottles of red and we had a blind tasting. IT was very difficult. The first bottle was from Canada and it was amazing for the price; Osoyoos Larose (from British Columbia) sort of a cabernet merlot blend. The second bottle was even more sumptious and was a Domaine Gramenon (Cotes-du-Rhone 2003) from the Rhone Valley in the South of France. The grapes were from a vine over 105 years in age and made by a woman. This meant it was very minimalistic wine and plenty of tender love and care went into making it. It was a natural wine and contained no sulphites. My palate was truly satisfied. Halfway through our evening there was a solitary man that remained at the Bar who they told me was the gossip columnist on TV. He had 2 little dogs in his bag and acted very peculiarly. Both Steve and Xavier warned me about him and there was definitely something strange about him. I took a photo of his dog in the bag for Kaz and then proceeded to return to drinking.
Eventually he got up from his seat and proceeded to join us unannounced. IT was very intrusive and strange. He was interested in Ernest who was scared out of his wit. This is a dog who is friendly 100% of the time and it was a real sight to see him cower in the corner afraid of this man. He was leathery like too much botox had been injected and it simply wasn't right. I did not make eye contact or even speak to him but half way through the conversation I heard him say to Xavier "Could I suck your dick?" and both me and Katie gave each other looks of puzzlement. Did he just say what I think he just said ?
Ten minutes later he left finally and all of us breathed a sigh of relief. Xavier said it was common for him to say things like that to random strangers and that he often got very aggressive. I guess you meet all sorts. It was probably one of the strangest and funniest moments of my life. Uber Surreal, yet uncomfortably humerous simultaneously. Joelle from the bar also joined us and we all sat around and conversed until 3am. I definitely want to bring the folks back here and enjoy the wine later on.Today we drove a longer scenic route back to Boston and it was night time when I arrived. I cannot believe I am almost finished. I got my GP allocation and it appears as if I am going to Gladesville and Lismore for my terms. It should be fun.As the door close on Boston a moment of quiet reflection dawns upon me and I hope that the people I met both in Kenya and Boston will stay in touch in the years to come. (# posted by Phil Huang @ 12:33 PM)
那家印度菜餐廳的菜 [註: 應是蒙特婁市當地 19/Feb], 真是好吃得沒話說. 在餐廳裡, 我點了 Chicken Kashmiri 咖哩雞, 和 Mushroom Pilau 草菇肉汁飯. 這頓飯我們都吃得很開心; 餐中我們也聊了更多有關人生與一些相關的話題. 我們一直聊到這家餐廳要打烊了才離開那裡. 日後, 我一定會很懷念 Josh 和 Katie 這對夫妻的. 我們所住的旅館裡有一位 porter 門房, 叫 Steve 的, 之前因為他非常熱心地指點我們應該如何在很短暫的時間裡作最有代表性的蒙特婁市觀光旅遊, 為了表示感謝, 我們曾告訴他, 在這晚他下班以後, 會和他一起去喝一杯. 看看這時候, 他也應該是剛好下班了, 所以我們就回到旅館裡去和他會合.
他對我們這麼好, 我們至少也得請他喝一杯酒吧! 很快地, 我們就發現, 原來 Steve 是一位 Connoisseur in Wine 葡萄酒的鑑賞家. 這時另外一個人叫 Xavier 的, 也過來和我們一起喝. 他們兩人都是以前有到法國去學習要如何製酒和品酒, 當然了, 他們也在那裡學會了喝酒可以千杯不醉的酒量. 他們拿出兩瓶紅酒, 要我們閉起眼睛來試喝看看. 這實在是很難試得出來. 第一瓶是加拿大出產的, 就它的價格來說, 很棒; 名叫 “Osoyoos Larose” (產區是在 British Columbia 英屬哥倫比亞省), 有一點像是由 Cabernet “卡貝納” 和 Merlot “梅洛” 這兩種葡萄品種混合釀出來的酒. 第二瓶酒的口感則是更厚實豐潤, 產區是法國南部的 Rhone Valley, 由 Domaine Gramenon 酒莊製成的 “Cotes-du-Rhone 2003”. 聽說釀這瓶酒的葡萄, 是專門只有摘自特定的一棵有 105 年老的葡萄樹, 而且製酒師還是一位女的. 也就是說, 這個酒的產量是極為稀少的, 可是裡面卻是加了大量的 tender love and care溫柔, 愛, 和細心, 去釀造出來的. 這瓶酒是天然純釀, 裡面絲毫不含任何 sulphites 亞硫酸鹽或其它的人工化合物. 我的 palate 味覺, 是真的滿意到極點.
這晚喝到一半時, 有一位據他們告訴我說是當地電視台 “閒話祕辛” 的專欄作家, 也一直是自己一個人單獨地坐在酒吧裡. 他把他帶來的兩隻小狗裝在一只小袋子裡, 舉止卻很怪異. Steve 和 Xavier 兩人都警告我, 要我千萬不要去理他; 可是他確實看起來是怪怪的. 我過去幫他在袋子裡的 2 隻小狗照張相, 打算以後要給 Kaz [註: Philip 的女朋友 Karen] .看之後, 我就又回去和大家繼續喝酒.沒想到, 之後沒多久, 他突然就從他的座位上站起來, 不說一聲地自己就走過來我們這一桌, 也和我們一起喝起酒來了. 他這種不邀自來的舉動, 實在是很侵擾人, 也很怪異. 他對 Ernest [註: Josh 家的狗] 很感興趣, 一直逗弄著牠, 可是牠卻好像很怕他似的, 一直在躲他. 你要知道, 這一隻狗一直都是 100% 地對人很友善的, 可是此刻的牠, 卻是因為害怕這個怪人, 而抖縮在一邊的牆角. 這情景讓人看了, 都會替牠感到難過.
這個怪人, 他臉上的皮膚, 看起來就像是打了過量的肉毒桿菌一樣, 怎麼看是怎麼怪. 我不想和他有任何的眼光接觸, 也沒有和他說上任何一句話. 就在我和其他人聊天聊到一半時, 我忽然聽到這個怪人對著 Xavier 說: “Could I suck your dick? (我可以吸吮你下面的那一根嗎?)”, 我和 Katie [註: Josh 的老婆] 兩人, 帶著困惑的眼光彼此對望了一下. 什麼呀! 他剛剛是講了我想是他講的內容的話嗎?
10 分鐘以後, 這個怪人終於離去, 我們大家也才如釋重負, 鬆了一口氣. Xavier 說, 這個怪人經常是隨便對一些他碰到的陌生人, 說類似像這樣的話. 他也說, 這個怪人今晚所說的話還算是 “含蓄”; 通常他講話的內容是更加地不堪入耳, 極具挑釁味的. 我想, 我們出門在外, 就是會碰上各式各樣的人. 不過, 說真的, 今晚碰到這位怪人, 還真是我這輩子中, 最奇怪, 也最好笑的一件事. 超荒誕離奇的, 卻又令人心理很不舒服地同時想要放聲大笑. 酒吧裡有另外一位女孩子名叫 Joelle 的, 這時也過來我們這一桌, 和我們一起喝酒. 我們大家一起聊天, 聊到清晨 3 點鐘時, 才各自散去. 如果有機會的話, 下一次我一定會再帶一些朋友來這家酒吧裡, 大夥兒好好地再把那些葡萄酒喝個夠. 今天 [註: 應是當地 20/Feb], 我們特地繞了一條比較遠但沿途風景比較漂亮的路徑回波士頓. 我抵達住處時, 已是晚上 7 點多了. 我真不敢相信我 12 個禮拜的校外實習, 再沒有幾天就要結束了. 我今天接到學校 [註: 雪梨大學] 傳來的 e-mail 通知說, 今年開學以後, 看來我在鄉下偏遠地區醫院的實習地點, 將會是在 Gladesville 和 Lismore 這 2 個地方. 到時候, 一定會很好玩 [註: 這2 個地方的區域醫院設備都很良善. Philip 去年也已經到過那裡實習, 因此, 今年在此, 應該是可以更加的駕輕就熟了. 尤其是在 Lismore 一地, Philip 去年在那裡實習時, 還曾因為關心當地時事而投書當地的一家報社 “Euthanasia: Who decides? (安樂死: 誰決定?)". 詳細情形, 請參考拙作: 生活雜感系列 (7): “Euthanasia: Who decides? (安樂死: 誰決定?)" 一文.”].
在這一刻, 雖然波士頓的這扇門即將對我關上; 但是我也看到了另一扇門中所反射出來寧靜的曙光, 正籠罩在我的身上. 只希望我在肯亞和波士頓停留的期間裡, 所結交認識的這些朋友們, 將來還是會繼續和我保持有所聯絡! (# posted by Phil Huang @ 12:33 PM) Monday, February 27, 2006Joints, North by Northwest and everything in between(骨關節, 坐著西北航空往北飛, 還有這其中之間所發生的所有事情)A millennia has passed since my last post. After the long weekend I began work nice and early with Dr Thornhill(left) on joints. TST as he is elegantly known around OR was the head of orthopedics at Brigham and considered himself the son of a redneck. He always had a entourage of Residents/Fellows around him and the first two days of joints were intense and interesting combined. He was great at teaching and had many fantastic stories as well about the various aspects of his career. I lost track of the number of operations we did over this week but all of it was excellent experience. Despite the week feeling extremely long in hours it seemed to fly by simultaneously. The later half of the week was spent with the other joints attending who was Dr Estok.Dr Estok was a bear of a man with a gruff exterior and mainly did revision of joints (ie. the f*$&ups of other people's joints he would say). Yet there was something special about him. His iPod, a 60GB monster had music that almost mirrored mine. I almost passed out in theatre. It was like a dream. He had Alice in Chains, Metallica and Even stone temple pilots. On top of this he had all the usual commercial pop of coldplay and U2 and the classic sounds of Creedence, Chicago and the doors just to name a few. There were so many songs that played including the Harvey Danger Song (flagpole sitta) which felt like my playlist was being played in theatre. Revisions are very tedious operations and a full day can be taken up by only 2 revision. Joints however can last a little over 1 hour (for hip) and are much simpler. The music however, made the revision go by so much the smoother.By Thursday things were beginning to wrap up. I made my way to Harvard square to meet up with an old friend from Selwyn (Leigh) who is currently lecturing at Harvard Uni One day a week. She would travel from Providence (where Brown is) for 50 miles each week to come and teach classes. We met up and reflected on the last 3 years since I've left Cambridge (UK). We had some drinks and dinner followed by Coffee and I also said my Goodbyes to sparks at the same time. This was the best photo (I had 3 attempts) that I could get of Leigh.
My final day at Brigham sped by and we started at 7:30 with a revision Hip. It was a nightmare(see Ernest's reaction on the left) and finished at about 2:30pm. We then completed a revision knee at around 6:30pm on a woman who I thought was morbidly obese until I headed into OR15 and found a woman 3 times her size. IT was very difficult intubating/cannulating/operating on these woman and the mood in the orthopedic hallway was tense. After leaving Brigham, I rushed home to get ready for the party. Henry, one of the scrub nurses had gotten a job with Synthes (who make the implants and tools) and was leaving Brigham for good. Christy (to the left in black top), one of the other scrub nurses was also having her 38th birthday as a spinster and it was my last night. So it was a giant celebration out in Boston on Friday night as a few of the staff got together for some drinks and dancing. We all met up at Lucky Strike Bowling alley which had an amazing bar the length of a swimming pool. I couldn't believe how rude the bar staff were but I guess its just Boston. It was a fantastic atmosphere even though we never got to bowl (2 hour wait). Henry (above right holding Rebecca with the beer and Lauren with eyes) was one of the first nurses who came up and had a conversation with me in OR. He was basically the first friendly person who came up and spoke to me. Christy is a spinster 38 year old nurse who has an attitude to match but is a real gem at heart She had such a hilarious sense of humour and would often give and cop shit simultaneously from all of us on her exploits with men.. Lauren and Rebecca were like the Bratz crew of the OR and they ran the place pretty much. Corinne (with Katie and josh and me above right) was a new nurse who started at the same time I began my elective and thus we bonded as we settled into the routine together. All these people were what made the Harvard experience unique. Sure, the attendings were fantastic and had world renowned research to their name but it felt similar to RNSH. What made the institution extraordinary was the people I got to meet. I felt quite drained at 11pm thinking about leaving everyone and took off home for an early night.Saturday morning before my flight I awoke to snow once again. Packing my bags was surprisingly simple in a small room and it felt as if I left something behind even though everything appeared in place. Josh and Katie came over to have a final lunch at my little studio and we continued out tradition of great conversations. It was truly tragic to have to leave them. I hope they will make it out to Australia one day or I will head back to Boston. After the farewells at about 2:00pm I decided to leave my apartment and say goodbye to Boston and prepare for my journey back to Australia via San Francisco. Little did I realise that one of the longest and strangest days was about to befall me.I have never had much luck with east-west traveling within the United States ago. The first time I traveled America by myself. 6 years ago, there was a major delay in my plane after it landed and it couldn't approach the gate for an hour and half. I was stuck in some city out in the midwest for an evening before heading on the next flight out in the morning. I was all ready to depart the US of LA and as I checked in the friendly(or not so friendly) check in lady informed me that my tickets were in fact not paid for and that I was not allowed to get on the Plane. Air Newzealand had tickets reserved but not paid in what became a huge mix up. I had to call mum who in turn had to make a few phone calls before the Manager of Air NZ at home (it was quite early in the wee hours of the morning) finally rang up the counter and cleared everything up.
Six years is a long time. It is strange how one can forget so much in such a little time. As I arrived at the airport I realised it began to snow a little harder. It mattered not I told myself. As I checked in the counter man told me again that my tickets were not confirmed for some strange reason and that my Boston-Detroit was confirmed but my Detroit SF was not. We had a brief conversation about Brigham and turns out his wife had their sons delivered at Brigham and Womens. After this revelation he decided to try and help me out. Before I knew it I had a first class ticket to San Francisco. My luck is changing I thought and the curse became a further distant memory. As I sat waiting to board a delay notice came up of 15 minutes. I took no notice at this moment. As the clock began ticking and countdown began, the delay seemed to stretch on continuously. The snow was causing severe delays all around. Eventually 2 and a half hours later we took off on our flight to Detroit. I was assured that the flight to SF would be the same plane and hence it was ok to arrive late. The Folks at Northwest airline seemed so genuine at the time.
After we landed at Detroit and some pampering later, one of the stewardesses (They were all Japanese for some reason and in their early to late 40's) asked me where I was going. I told her SF to which she replied that the plane has been changed and is now leaving from Gate A6 (we landed at A66). As I was getting my bags and rushing out, she yelled out and said "oh by the way, your plane has left" in a very general, blaise and a I couldn't give a F*$& tone.
I felt like I had walked into a David Lynch Film. 90 minutes later of wandering and asking finally established that I had indeed missed my flight and that I was going to have to hop on one the next morning. They were going to provide hotel and dinner for me in the meantime although I had to argue and beg. Weather, they told me, is not a cause for compensation. After catching a taxi to Best and Western I crashed immediately and awaited my arrival in San Francisco the next day.
Early next morning I left for the airport feeling like the worse is behind me. As I go through the whole ordeal of checking in and heading for the gate it dawned upon me how tired I was. I needed more sleep. Eventually I made it to the gate and hopped on the plane. As the plane left the gate and headed for the runway, I looked out at Detroit and was glad to be rid of it. It gave me the creeps...
Just seconds after the engines fired up and it looked like we were given the greenlight to go, something clicked in the cabin and everything turned on and off. The plane was now shutting off and we sat still for 10 minutes. The captain then informed us that there was something wrong with the hydraulics and that the engine would need to be fixed. After 1 hour he informed us we would be getting a new plane. After 3 and half hours we finally got our plane and after another 5 hours I finally arrived in San Francisco at 6pm E.S.T. Exactly 26 hours after my plane was suppose to take off and around 28 hours after I left the house in Boston. It was very painful as I had next to no luggage with me and felt like pigpen from Peanuts. I was never going to fly Northwest Airlines every again.
Kristin (childhood friend) picked me up from the airport and we headed back to her house in Foster City. We all went out for a great feast at Elephant Bar where they serve giant American portions. I have no recollection of ever eating as much as I did tonight and all I wanted to do was vomit. They have a dish called the sampler (see below) which is basically every appetizer available on one plate. It was frighteningly fatty but delicious nonetheless. We spent the rest of the night playing their Gamecube as I got destroyed in all games. I am seriously rusty in my geekdom! (# posted by Phil Huang @ 6:37 PM)
寫完上一篇的 “後記”部落格文章之後, 感覺上, 我好像是已經過了 1,000 年似的. 在總統日的長週末假期之後, 我開始 [註: 應是當地 21/Feb] 在 Joints 骨關節部門跟著 Dr. Thornhill. 一切事情進行得都很順利, 也很好. 大家都只稱呼他叫作 TST, 因為他的名字是: Thomas S. Thornhill; 他是我們這間 Brigham 醫院裡的骨科主任. 他自己認為自己是 Son of a redneck “紅頸”之子 [註: 意指他這個人是鄉下貧農之子, 也是道道地地的一位 “草地郎”; 比較純樸誠懇和 “古意”]. 在我跟著他的那兩天裡, 他的身邊, 總是隨時都有一大堆的駐院和資深總醫師 (Fellows) 群圍繞著; 因此骨關節部門的前兩天是既緊湊密集, 也很有趣. 他的教學很棒, 也對我們講了他執醫生涯中很多各式各樣的有趣故事. 這兩天裡, 他所操刀的手術工作, 多到讓我數都數不清到底是有幾個病例了; 可是每一個病例, 都讓我學到很多.
雖然這個禮拜裡, 每一天都是工作到非常的晚, 可是卻也過得非常快. 這個禮拜的後面兩天, 我則是跟著骨關節部門的另外一位隨員醫師 Dr. Estok. Dr. Estok 的外表嚴肅, 留著一臉落腮鬍. 他只做骨關節的 revision 修正 [註: 所謂的骨關節修正, 是指前一次植入的骨關節沒有達到目的或植得不好或不成功之後, 再植一次的技術工作] (套一句他所說的話, the fuckups of other people’s joints, 他是專門修正別人搞砸了的骨關節工作). 然而, 他這個人卻有很獨特的一面; 那就是他的 iPod. 他的 iPod 儲存量有 60GB 之多, 裡面存放的歌曲, 幾乎就是我 iPod 裡儲存歌曲的翻版一樣. 發現到這種巧合, 讓我在手術房中, 高興到幾乎要昏倒的地步. 我這是在作夢, 還是真的有這麼一回事呢? 他有: Alice in Chains, Metallica, 和 Even Stone temple pilots. 不但如此, 他還有所有成套的一般商業流行歌曲, 像 Coldplay, U2, Creedence, Chicago, 和 The Doors 等等. 這些人的專輯, 只不過是他收存中的一小部份而已. 在手術房中聽到他 iPod 所播放出來的許多首歌曲, 例如像 Harvey Danger Song (Flagpole Sitta) 這也是其中之一, 簡直讓我以為放在手術房裡的, 其實是我的 iPod 似的. 骨關節的修正, 是一件很冗長乏味的工作, 通常一天裡大概是只能完成 2 個病例. 然而, 如果只是作骨關節植入的話, 那就簡單多了; 就以 hip 臀部的骨關節來說, 通常是耗時約一個多小時, 就可以完成了. 不過, 說真的, 這些音樂歌曲的播放, 倒使得這些沉悶的骨關節修正工作, 進行起來, 顯得是格外地順利和愉快.
到了這個禮拜四 [註: 應是當地 23/Feb] 的時候, 事情就慢慢的在收尾, 打算要結束了. 下班後, 我走到醫院附近的 Harvard Square 哈佛廣場去和 Leigh Yetter 見面. 她是我在劍橋大學修碩士學位時, 和我同屬 Selwyn 學院的一位老朋友. 她現在是住在 Providence (就是 Brown 布朗大學所在地). 每個禮拜裡面的禮拜四, 她都會開 50 英里 [註: 約 84 公里] 到哈佛大學裡來開課講學一天. 我們碰頭後, 就開始聊起我離開英國劍橋後 [註: Philip 交出論文, 在 2003 年 2 月通過評審教授們的口試與拿到碩士學位後的隔天, 馬上就飛回澳洲唸雪梨大學的學士後醫學系], 這 3 年來的彼此情況. 我們一起喝了幾杯酒, 用了晚餐, 再叫了杯咖啡. 我也趁這個機會, 在電話中向 James Sparks [註: Philip 的多年好友, 前曾為 Stephen Hawking 的學生, 現則為哈佛大學數學系的助教] 告別. 我總共幫 Leight 照了 3 張照片, 這是其中最好看的一張.
我在 Brigham 醫院裡的最後一天 [註: 應是當地 24/Feb], 感覺上, 一切事情都是加速地在進行著. 我一早 7:30 就開始一項臀部的骨關節修正工作. 這項工作進行得就好像是一場沒完沒了的惡夢似的, 一直到下午 2:30pm 才結束. 接著下來, 又作了另一項膝蓋骨關節的修正工作, 一直到晚上 6:30pm 左右才完成. 我原以為前面這個病例的女性病患, 已經是病態的過胖了; 可是當我到 OR15 骨科手術第 15 房時, 卻發現這個房間裡的女性病患, 她的身材體積是上一位女性病患的 3 倍. 我們很難在這些病態過胖的女性病患們身上做插管/打點滴/開刀手術, 因此整個骨科樓層的走道裡, 大家的情緒都是繃得很緊.
下班後, 我趕快離開Brigham 醫院回到住處裡去洗澡換衣, 準備前往今晚的派對所在地. 醫院裡的一位 scrub 手術房護士名叫 Henry 的, 將要到 Synthes (移植物和工具的一家製造商) 公司裡面去高就; 醫院裡的另外一位手術房護士名叫 Christy 的 (照片中穿著黑色上衣的那一位), 這晚剛好是她 38 週歲卻仍然是未婚身份的 Spinster生日; 還有, 這晚也是我在這間醫院裡實習的最後一晚; 因此醫院裡有不少的同事, 大家就在這個禮拜五的週末夜, 打算聯合聚會在一起, 來一個盛大的慶祝派對. 我們早就事先講好了, 大家要找波士頓這個城市裡的一處地方, 外出喝酒和跳舞.
我們大家都是直接到 Lucky Strike Bowling Alley 幸運擊倒保齡球館裡去碰面. 這間保齡球館裡的酒吧區, 實在是大得嚇人; 單單它的吧檯長度, 就像是有一個游泳池的水道那麼長. 我無法相信在吧檯後職員的服務態度, 怎麼可以是那麼的無禮. 不過話說回來, 也難怪; 我猜波士頓人本身, 大概生來就是這麼沒有禮貌吧! . 雖然這個晚上, 我們連保齡球摸都沒有摸到 (因為如果要租球道, 說是至少要等上 2 個小時), 可是整個 Party 中的氣氛還是非常棒, 大家都玩得很 High, 很盡興.
有一群骨科手術房部門裡的護士們先看到我, 所以他們走過來和我打招呼和聊天, 即將要離職另有高就的Henry (照片中一手擁著拿瓶啤酒的 Rebecca, 另一手抱著有瞪大眼睛的 Lauren 那位年輕人) 也是其中的一位. 基本上說起來, 他算是這個晚上在開口和我講話的人當中, 第一位顯得是很友善的人. Christy 是那位 38 歲仍然未婚的手術房護士, 從她講話的態度中就可以看得出來, 她為什麼至今仍然是單身未婚. 其實, 她的心地很善良, 為人也很有幽默感; 可是在談到她過去和男人交往, 卻每次被利用完後就被無情的拋棄情形時, 她就忍不住地滿口三字經和髒話同時溜口而出; 實在是讓我們大家都受不了. Lauren 和 Rebecca 就像是我們骨科手術房部門裡的 Bratz 女娃娃玩偶一樣, 她們在手術房裡也總是喜歡頤指氣使醫生或大家, 說應該是要怎麼做才對的那種護士類型. Corinne 是一位新來的護士. 我一月底剛開始在波士頓實習時, 她幾乎和我是同時向這間醫院來報到; 因此我們兩人的排班總是排在一起. 所有這些人的點點滴滴, 正是為什麼我會覺得這次在哈佛大學醫學院裡的實習, 是這麼的獨特與珍貴!
當然了, 這間醫院裡的每一位醫生的醫術都很超群, 也有聞名世界的頂級醫學研究器材是沒措; 可是, 我覺得它和在雪梨的 RNSH [註: Royal
North Shore Hospital 雪梨皇家北岸醫院, 是 Philip 的上課實習教學醫院] 沒有什麼不一樣. 對我來說, 醫院就是醫院, 那裡都一樣; 可是我在醫院裡所認識或是共事的人們, 那才是讓我覺得那間醫院, 是不是一間非常特別超凡的醫院的主要關鍵原因. 我在 11:00pm 左右的時候, 已經沒有什麼精力再在那裡玩下去了, 因此我就先行離開大家, 回到住處, 直接上床去睡.
禮拜六的早上 [註: 應是當地 25/Feb], 我一覺醒來, 發現窗外的街道又是再次的覆蓋在一片厚雪之中; 看來昨晚是下了一整夜的雪. 由於下午即將要搭機離開波士頓, 所以我就做了最後的打包之後, 房間裡再巡視一下看有沒有漏掉什麼物品沒有打包到, 在只有一間房的房間裡要打包行李, 其實是出乎意料之外簡單的一件事; 看起來我是沒有遺漏掉什麼物品沒有打包到, 可是我的心裡, 卻總是覺得自己是留下了好多部份在這個城市裡. Josh 和 Katie 這時也來找我道別, 和我在我的住處裡共用離開波士頓之前的最後一頓午餐. 餐中, 當然我們是免不了的, 又聊了很多我們彼此經常在作的人生話題討論. 不得不離開他們這兩位好人, 實在是我人生中的悲事之一. 我希望他們兩位可以早一天到澳洲來找我, 否則我一定會再回波士頓來探望他們. 和他們兩人互道珍重再見後, 我決定在下午 2 點鐘的時候離開住處, 向波士頓這個城市說聲 Bye Bye, 前往機場搭機回去澳洲, 並且打算途中要在舊金山這個城市作幾天短暫的停留, 探望一下童年時期就認識的多年好友. 我怎麼會知道, 接下來, 將有一個最長也最奇怪的一天, 正在前面等著我呢!
我之前在美國所作的橫貫東西部飛行之旅, 一向就是沒有什麼好運可言. 例如說: 6年前幾乎就是像現在一樣的下著風雪的一月底, 在我 19 歲唸大二的那一年, 我第一次單槍匹馬獨自來美國打工實習結束要從紐約回去澳洲時, 飛機嚴重誤點抵達要在中途轉機的亞特蘭大市, 後又因不明原因有一個半小時之久飛機雖已落地在跑道, 卻一直沒有辦法靠近下機的 Gate 門口; 我原本中間有 4 個小時空檔可以用來輕鬆轉機的, 在我用跑百米的速度趕到轉機的登機門口時, 卻發現要搭的那班轉機飛機已經在 10 分鐘之前關艙起飛. 我只好在陌生的美國中西部城市亞特蘭大過夜, 打算隔天一早再搭機前往 Salt Lake City 鹽湖城轉洛杉磯回澳洲. 沒想到隔天早上抵達機場時, 才得知所有的班機因風雪過大, 全部都被取消了. 我只好又回去旅館裡待一天. 再隔一天早上我在旅館要 check out 付帳時, 才發現自己身上的護照機票和錢包, 不知何時已不翼而飛, 被人扒走了.
幾經波折, 我報警處理, 重辦護照. 3 天之後再度登機. 好不容易終於抵達洛杉磯要換搭國際線班機回澳洲時, 事情還沒完………..洛杉磯機場裡的紐西蘭航空公司一位女性職員很友善的 (或許我應該說她是很不友善的) 告訴我說,因為我機票的錢還沒有付清, 所以手中雖然有機票, 她也不能讓我上飛機. 我當時只好趕緊向住在澳洲布里斯本的老媽打電話求救, 因為機票我是請她代為安排購買的, 我實在是再也不想在這個國家裡多待上一天了. 她在大清早 3, 4 點鐘的時候, 趕緊打電話給開票的旅行社老闆, 請他緊急處理, 最後總算是把紐西蘭航空公司駐布里斯本的經理由睡夢中挖醒, 請他趕快到辦公室裡去當場發了一封電報, 給在洛杉磯機場裡的那位女性職員說, 其實這整個事情都是由於她搞錯程序, 把公司內部的機票密碼代號給看錯了. 當晚我總算是在飛機關艙起飛前的最後 1 分鐘, 衝進機艙裡的座位上. 回想起當年, 我是前後足足搞了 7 天, 才終於回到澳洲布里斯本的家中. 老媽看到我一踏進家門, 就緊緊地抱住我有 5 分鐘之久; 她不肯放手的那一幕, 我至今仍是記憶猶新. 6 年是很長的一段時間. 這一次的機票是由我親自一手搞定, 現在的我也變得更精明懂事, 護照機票和錢包都還在我的身上. 我心裡還在想: 這次搭機應該是一切都可以順利, 不會再有什麼節外生枝的什麼事發生了.
當我抵達波士頓機場時, 我注意到外面的風雪, 好像是下得越來越大了. 我告訴自己, 這應該是沒什麼要緊, 風雪還沒有下到必須要取消起飛的程度. 我在西北航空公司的櫃檯要辦理登機手續時, 櫃檯後的職員這時告訴我說, 不知為何原因, 我機票上的波士頓到底特律這段旅程有確認, 可是底特律到舊金山的這一段卻沒有確認. (天啊! 不會吧! 事情怎麼又重演一次了呢?) 在辦理登機手續的當中, 我們曾經有簡短的交談聊天; 他知道我到波士頓來, 是在 Brigham 醫院裡實習工作; 剛好她老婆所生的幾個兒子, 也都是在 Brigham 這間醫院裡的婦產科部門待產接生的, 因此他當下就決定要幫我, 試圖解決這個機位沒有確認的問題. 在我都還沒有搞清楚狀況的時候, 他已經把一張從底特律到舊金山的這一段頭等艙機位登機證, 交到我的手上. 我的心中不禁暗樂, 心想這次美國本土橫貫東西部的飛行之旅, 看來是運氣在轉了, 不會再像上一次那樣, 有一連串倒霉的事都發生在一塊兒了. 6 年前費時 7 天才從美國紐約返抵澳洲布里斯本家門的不愉快記憶, 這時也不知道被我拋到那裡去了.
我在候機室坐下, 等著要從波士頓搭機到底特律時, 機場裡的廣播器中宣佈班機將會延遲 15 分鐘起飛. 我這時還不在意, 心想 15 分鐘就 15 分鐘延遲, 這種延誤我還可以接受. 可是接下似乎是毫無止境似的, 每當 15 分鐘要屆滿時, 廣播器中就宣佈班機將會再延遲 15 分鐘起飛的這種延誤, 可就讓我跳腳, 再也坐不住了. 外面所下的風雪, 似乎是引發了多架班機的延遲起飛, 或是乾脆就被取消掉. 延遲 2 個半小時以後, 我總算是坐在機艙的座位上, 可以起飛前往底特律了. 在登機前和飛行中, 不同的西北航空公司職員或空中小姐, 還不斷的向我保證說, 從底特律飛到舊金山所用的, 還會是這一架原機, 不會換機; 因此起飛 “稍稍”延遲一下, 也是 OK, 不會有多大的關係. 向我作保證的這些西北航空公司的職員或空中小姐, 每個人都是信誓旦旦的安撫我, 讓我也為之放心不少.
飛機抵達底特律, 我在西北航空公司的頭等艙旅客休息室吃了一些東西以後, 休息室裡有一位女性職員 (不知是為何原因, 她們都是 40 幾歲的中年日本婦女) 跑過來問我說, 下一站我是要飛往那裡去. 我告訴她說是舊金山. 她聽了之後回答我說: “計劃有變, 飛機現在改成是要在 A6 門口登機.” (我們降落時的下機門口是在 A66, 西北航空公司的頭等艙旅客休息室也是在離它不遠處). 當我聽她一說完這句話, 抓起放在地上的背包馬上往休息室的門外衝時, 只聽到她在我身後, 用著一副事不關己, 很像是 Blaise 英國的資訊自動服務機似的語氣, 對我大聲的說著: “喔! 對了, 你的飛機剛剛已經起飛了!”
這時候的我, 就好像是一頭栽進了 David Lynch [註: 大衛 林區, 他是美國的一位著名導演, 素以執導製作一系列的超現實主義中的恐怖惡夢或是夢境之類的影片而享有盛名. 大陸影星陳沖在美國所主演的電視連續劇影集 “Twin Peaks 雙峰”, 即為他的作品] 的電影中一樣. 90 分鐘不斷的在機場大廈內來回奔走詢問的結果, 我終於證實我所要搭的飛機, 是真的已經飛走了, 而下一班西北航空公司要飛到舊金山, 最早的班機, 則是在隔天的早上. 在我和他們的服務櫃檯職員不斷的據理力爭和苦苦哀求之下, 西北航空公司終於答應會負責我在底特律當晚的旅館住宿和餐食費用. 他們還告訴我, 通常在氣候不佳旅客趕不上飛機的情況下, 他們航空公司是不必賠償旅客任何損失的. 問題是, 我趕不上飛機, 並不是因為氣候不佳呀! 而是因為他們西北的職員, 先是誤導旅客不會換機, 後又在頭等艙旅客休息室中當計劃有變時, 沒有即時告知旅客此事, 以致旅客趕不上飛機. 如果是在像這樣子的情況下, 旅客沒有叫他們要負責的話, 那豈不是讓自己的權益給睡著了嗎? 話雖說是如此, 但我在機場叫了一部計程車坐到 Best and Western Hotel, 住進房間以後, 還是馬上倒頭就睡著了. 我是打算: 既然行李已經先走了, 我人卻還在底特律, 那麼一切後續處理的等等事情, 明天早上我抵達舊金山之後, 再說好了.
隔天早上 [註: 應是當地的禮拜天, 26/Feb], 我離開旅館要到機場的途中, 心想, 事情發生都發生了, 最糟糕的情況也應該是都過去了, 今早我只須要到達底特律機場, 坐上飛機飛到西部的舊金山去, 就可以了. 當我辦好登機手續走向登機門口時, 我才發現, 在歷經這一番的折磨之後, 自己的身心是多麼的疲憊; 看來等一下在飛機上, 可能是會一路睡到底了. 這次, 我總算是順利地到達登機門口. 跳上飛機座位坐下後, 親眼看到艙門關緊打算要準時起飛的時候; 這時的我才敢確定, 自己的返鄉回國之路, 現在是可以又往前, 挺進一大步了.
當飛機緩緩的滑向起飛跑道時, 我望向底特律的天空, 心想: 終於可以把在這裡所發生的一切不愉快之事, 甩到腦後了. 可是想想昨天所發生的事情過程, 不禁讓我全身一陣寒意擁上心頭………事情怎麼會那麼巧呢? 彷彿冥冥之中, 我從美國東部要返鄉回國的過程, 就是要讓我一陣折騰奔波, 諸多不順呢?
想到這裡, 飛機的引擎剛好是全力打開, 塔台也通知機長說是可以起飛了; 這時只聽到機艙內響起 ”click拍答” 的一聲. 所有的燈光突然都被打開, 隨即又馬上全被熄掉. 飛機引擎頓時熄火, 我們坐在座位上, 眼看著飛機不知道是為了什麼原因, 就靜止不動的停在起飛跑道的中央, 長達有 10 分鐘之久. 機長這時透過艙內的擴音器, 通知我們說是, 由於不明的原因, 以致此架飛機引擎的 Hydraulics 水力系統有問題, 他現在正在想辦法要來把它修復當中, 應該是不會耗時太久的. 1 個小時以後, 機長又告訴我們說, 請準備下機, 重新換乘另外一架飛機. 3個小時之後, 我終於又坐在換乘的另外一架飛機上; 然後 5 個小時的飛行後, 我總算是在 26/Feb美國東部標準時間的晚上 6 點鐘, 踏上了舊金山市的土地. 也就是說, 從我在波士頓的飛機應該要起飛的時刻 26 個小時; 或是在我離開住處 25/Feb 的2:00pm 開始計算的話, 我是在 28 個小時之後, 才從波士頓, 飛抵了舊金山. 在這 28 個小時之中, 我除了隨身攜帶的背包之外, 可以說是沒有任何一件的內衣褲, 或是行李在我的身邊. 我內心的痛苦心情, 大家想想, 也就可以了解了. 我覺得自己好像就是 Peanuts 漫畫中的 pigpen 似的. 我這輩子, 是絕對不會再搭乘西北航空公司的飛機了!
Kristin (我的童年好友) 到舊金山機場來接我. 我們一起回到她位在 Foster City 的家中稍作休息之後, 就外出到 Elephant Bar 裡去享用一頓豐盛的晚餐. 在這間餐廳裡, 似乎每一道菜的量, 都是依照美國人大胃王的食量來準備似的, 份量都好大. 我記憶中, 好像這輩子從來都沒有像這個晚上一樣, 是吃得這麼多. 我的肚子簡直是撐飽到幾乎讓我都快要吐出來了.
他們有一道菜是叫作Sampler 總匯拼盤. 盤中有各式各樣的開胃小點; 雖然這些開胃小點是油膩到令我感到害怕的地步; 可是老實說, 它們還超級好吃的. 用完餐後, 我們就又回到 Kristin 家中, 大家開始玩起 Gamecube 的電動遊戲機起來. 沒想到, 一向有 “最佳遊戲王” 美稱的我, 才離開雪梨 3 個月沒有碰玩這些電動遊戲而已, 我已經在每局的遊戲中, 都被打敗到落荒而逃的地步. 看來, 我回到雪梨之後, 是得要加緊練習, 把早已生疏玩電動遊戲的技巧, 好好地給 “打” 回來了! (Posted by Phil Huang @ 6:37 PM)
[後記]
Philip 在台北時間 21/Feb 從蒙特婁回到波士頓後, 傳送了一封 e-mail 給我. 內容如下:
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 11:38 PM
Subject: Crackpots! (有裂痕的水桶)
A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck, and one of the pots had a crack in it. Consequentially, at the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full, while the other was perfect and always delivered the full amount of water. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. (有一個挑夫, 每天都要走很遠的路, 到溪邊挑 2 大桶的水回家使用. 扁擔上的 2 個水桶都一樣大, 但其中的 1 個水桶, 上面有幾處裂痕. 因此, 當這位挑夫把水挑到家中時, 有裂痕的這個水桶中的水, 只剩下有半桶滿; 而另外 1個完好水桶中的水, 總是全滿滴水不漏. 兩年下來, 這位挑夫的家中, 一直都是只能使用到一桶半的水.)
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, but the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. (這個完好水桶, 當然是對自己的可以使命必達成就引以為傲, 而有裂痕的這個水桶, 對於自己因為有缺陷以致無法達成任務則是倍感羞愧.)
After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." (兩年來無法完成被付託任務的這個有裂痕水桶, 有一天, 它終於忍不住, 在溪邊就問這位挑夫說: “對於自己因為有缺陷以致一路漏水, 讓你回到家時不能有整桶的水可以使用, 我實在是覺得對你很愧疚.”)The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house." (這位挑夫看著這個有裂痕的水桶, 回答它說: “你有沒有注意到, 為什麼在回家路旁的花, 總是開在你這邊, 而不是在另外一邊呢? 那是因為我早就知道你有缺陷, 所以我故意在你的這一邊, 事先沿途撒下這些花的種子. 當我每天把裝滿水的你挑回家時, 你的缺陷就剛
好可以幫這些花種帶來它們需要的水份. 這兩年來, 就是因為有你的缺陷, 我才能夠經常摘下美麗的花朵, 回到家中裝飾門面. 如果不是因為有你, 我怎麼會有今天一個漂亮的家呢?)
Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots.
(寓意: 我們每一個人都有自己獨特的缺陷. 我們都是有裂痕的水桶.)
But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. (但就是因為我們有這些缺陷和裂痕, 所以我們的人生才可以過得很有趣也很有價值. 我們做人, 就是必須要接受別人的缺點, 儘量看他優點的那一面.)
Blessings to all my crackpot friends .....(祝福我所有擁有裂痕水桶的朋友們!)
看完這篇寓文後, 我的心中只有 2 個疑問:
1) 我這位挑夫是否有善用人材資源呢? 如果沒有的話, 明兒個一大早, 我可得趕快到 “建國花市” 裡去買一些花種.
2) 水桶有裂痕, 為了節省成本, 縱使我到手可以使用的水是只剩下半桶, 我還願意將就一下, 勉強繼續用它. 但是如果水桶現有的裂痕不趕緊把它修補好的話, 今天的裂痕變成明天的破洞; 試問: 修補裂痕的成本和重新替換的成本, 到底是那一種會讓我的人生過得更有趣也更有價值呢?
不錯, 天生我才必有用, 生鏽的鐵輪可以比較響; 但是與其 “我才” 坐等挑夫來識你的才, 還不如主動出擊展現自己的才面來挑選要來使用你的挑夫. 同樣的, 生鏽的鐵輪是可以比較引起別人對它的注意, 但是它所發出的響聲是一種刺耳的噪音; 還不如加過機油默默行走中的鐵輪, 可以走得更順更遠!
如果你問我的話, 我寧願作一個完好不漏水的水桶, 也不願放任自己的裂痕不去修補. 至於花種所需要的水份, 我就交由老天爺的雨水, 或是灑下花種給它生命的園丁去負責吧!
[Feedback: 回響]
1) 謝謝你讓我們分享寶貝兒子的部落格, 讓我增長許多有趣的見聞, 不要太累, 慢慢來.
